MEDIA RELEASE

Plans are underway for the 39th annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival celebrating its 181-year coffee tradition with this year’s theme “Kona Coffee – Aroma of Aloha.” 

This year’s festival, which runs Nov. 6-15, boasts nearly 50 events including contests, tastings, two parades, a scholarship pageant, farm tours, coffee workshops, art exhibits and an outdoor concert.

In recognition of the Kona coffee harvest that has sustained the region’s agricultural community, the award-winning Kona Coffee Cultural Festival is recognized as the oldest and most successful food festival in Hawaii. 

The 10-day festival celebrates Kona’s special cultural heritage and recognizes the accomplishments of Kona coffee pioneers, farmers and artisans.

Main attractions include judging the finest Kona coffee in the state at the Kona Coffee Cupping Competition. A panel of international judges conducts a blind tasting where entries are assigned a number to assure anonymity. Judges look for high marks in fragrance, aroma, taste, nose, aftertaste and body. 

Foodies and culinary fans can catch professionals, culinary students, amateurs and keiki in action creating unique recipes showcasing Kona coffee as an ingredient in entrees and desserts at the Kona Coffee Recipe Contest.

Meet coffee farmers and ‘talk story’ while sampling estate brews and specialty food items or peruse boutique art galleries at the Holualoa Village Kona Coffee Tasting & Art Stroll in historic Holualoa. 

No festival is complete without a parade, and the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival sports two: International Lantern Parade and Kamehameha Schools Grand Parade where floats, costumed ethnic groups, marching bands and equestrian units grace Kona’s oceanfront.

The Kona Coffee Cultural Festival is recognized and supported as a ‘Major Festival’ by Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) as the festival showcases Hawaii’s culture and diversity. 

HTA was created in 1998 to ensure a successful visitor industry well into the future. Its mission is to strategically manage the growth of Hawaii’s visitor industry in a manner consistent with its economic goal, cultural values, preservation of natural resources and community interests.

— Find out more:

Kona Coffee Cultural Festival: 326- 7820, www.konacoffeefest.com